>>January

The growth of artificial intelligence has been unaffected by the ominous backdrop of COVID-19 that 2020 has thrust upon us. Rather, COVID-19 has brought into the limelight the pressing need for development and evolution in AI, marking the move towards a more self sufficient society. 

This blog article provides insight on some of the noteworthy developments and advancements within artificial intelligence that are set to revolutionize artificial intelligence at large. 

  • Self-driving robotaxis – industry leaders have continued to test and rollout self-driving car technology in 2020. Fully automated driving (no human safety driver) is a pre-requisite for mass market adoption of self-driving car technologies. 
  • Quantum computing – quantum computing continued to take noteworthy strides in 2020, capped by the Jiuzhang computer’s achievement of quantum supremacy. Quantum supremacy is the achievement of performing a calculation that’s impossible for a conventional computer system, and only other supercomputer has done this before, with Google’s quantum computer achieving this milestone in 2019. Quantum computing could potentially supercharge AI applications, something that binary-based computing cannot do. The integrity and usefulness of ML-models can be enhanced through quantum computing, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Emergent technologies, like deep learning algorithms are spearheading quantum computing research. 
  • AI-driven chipsets – AI-driven chipsets made significant inroads in 2020, with several AI chips making it to the market. AI-optimized processors are enhanced with specific systems that can drive performance for tasks such as deep learning. As AI applications become ubiquitous, performance increases and cost savings can serve as value additions to companies that operate a broad network of data centers for commercial cloud services. This can facilitate an organization’s internal operations. 
  • Applied natural language processing – computer processing of human language is becoming more and more advanced, with natural language systems making progress on aspects such as sentiments and intention. Such progression enables computers to produce language that is more akin to human speaking and writing. AI also took significant strides towards visual understanding, the capacity to explain an image through language. What a lot of people may not know is that Google is powered by AI. Progression in applied natural language processing is helping search engines like Google increase the integrity of search results. More advanced chatbots and AI assistants are another natural consequence of these advancements.  
  • AI in healthcare – Developing a vaccine is no mean feat. However, the speed at which COVID-19 vaccines are being developed is mind boggling.  Vaccines were in the testing phase a mere three months after the first documented cases of COVID-19. This has partially been account of AI models that enabled researchers to study massive amounts of data about the coronavirus. The proteins of a virus are composed of several thousand components. ML models can go through this virtual torrent of data predicting which components are the most immunogenic, or in other words, capable of producing an immune response – therefore guiding researchers in developing targeted vaccines. Artificial intelligence in healthcare is set to revolutionize the way that illnesses are understood. 
  • Evolution in vision, image and video analysis – New research in deep learning has made image / video analysis more viable than ever before. Effectiveness is showing marked increases with assistance from deep learning, for example, in the field of radiology.  
  • AI learns more human-like functions – in 2020, artificial agents developed by OpenAI made use of “tools” without any teaching or training on how to use them. This is a huge stride towards increasing the viability of machine learning. 
  • Retail marketing – the progression of AI systems is witnessing an increasing implementation of AI-driven customer service systems, which are set to be a permanent feature of the tech landscape in the upcoming years. AI and predictive analytics are poised to assist retailers detect purchase trends and promptly launch automated campaigns that will compel well targeted customers to act. Personalized experiences will make the connected store experience a reality.  
  • AIOps (Artificial intelligence in IT operations) – AIOps is about the way in which data and info from an app environment and handled by an IT unit with the assistance of AI. Through deploying big data, visualization, and machine learning, AIOps optimize IT operations by providing greater insight.  

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